Russia claims to have taken control of half of the city of Bakhmut

The leader of the Russian mercenary group Wagner said on Wednesday that his forces have taken full control of the eastern part of the city of Bakhmut.

If this turns out to be true, then Russian forces would control almost half of the city as they try to achieve a months-long victory on the ground.

However, Ukrainian forces continue to resist. Last week it appeared that they were preparing for a tactical withdrawal from Bakhmuti, but military and political leaders decided to hold the positions in order to inflict as many losses as possible on the Russian forces.

The Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a report today that “despite heavy losses, the enemy continues to advance in the city of Bakhmut.”

The head of the paramilitary group Wagner said that his fighters control “the entire area east of the Bakhmutka river”.

The river bisects the town of Bakhmut, which lies in part of the Donetsk region, most of which is under Russian control. The city center is in the western part of the river.

Earlier, the Ukrainian army had said that the conditions for an offensive from Ukraine could be created in Bakhmut. The main goal of our troops in Bakhmut is to weaken the enemy’s combat power, said the spokesman of one of the commands of the Ukrainian army.